Time is Running Out
by jessicatheninja
Summary: The Doctor has a daughter, and all of London is in danger. Working with Donna and the most flirtatious man in the universe, the Doctor must stop Harry Saxon and his Dalek army before it's too late. And time is running out for everyone.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.: For themortalfangirl, a Whovian :) Enjoy!**

* * *

"Grace Ross," said the woman, extending a hand to the man who had just saved her from being run over by a cursing cab driver. She had lived in London for a few years now, but was still not used to the traffic on some roads. Not that getting run over would have mattered much. "Can I buy you a coffee or something? It's the least I can do, since you saved my life."

Grace was currently working for the British government, but she had had many jobs. She had done a lot of living. She wasn't old - her twenty-fifth birthday was a few months ago - but she had done a lot in her years on the earth, but not all of it good. She had been on her way back to a modest flat when she tried to cut across a street to save time. A cabbie had whipped around a corner at the same time, and would have run her down had the man not run into the road and pulled her onto the sidewalk. The people passing by had stopped and clapped, watching as she and the man got up, dusting themselves off.

"Pleased to meet you, Grace," winked the man. He wasn't someone you would expect to see just strolling down the street. The shirt and suspenders said businessman, but the coat said he had been transplanted out of World War II. "Captain Jack Harkness. But you can call me Jack. In fact, you can call me." He handed over her phone, Grace noting that he had put a number into it. "Coffee's fine."

"Who are you, Jack? Really," she asked as they sat down outside of a sandwich shop on Baker Street. "You're not... twenty-first century, almost."

"I'll tell you a secret. I'm fifty-first century," he smiled. "Time Agent. Never heard of those, have you?"

"Like a Time Lord?"

Jack choked and said, "You know... the Time Lords?"

"Time Lords are from Gallifrey. There's only one left. Jack, I was born on a different planet, if you can believe that."

"It's a big, wide universe," he said, "I'd believe almost anything. So tell me, how old are you? You talk like you're much older than you look."

"Twenty-five. Well, that's what I tell everyone." She brushed a strand of hair out of her face as he raised an eyebrow. "I was born in the human year 1793. I was sent to the earth in 1911. My planet was dying. What they did was secretly take the DNA of anyone who landed there, and every year, take the best two samples and combine them. The child's life would be sped up until they were in their early twenties, and then they would be sent out to find a planet that the others would be safe on. I got earth. Well, my planet was burnt up in a war a few years after I was sent out. The created explorers were stuck wherever they were."

"So you never knew your parents? Wait, if the people who landed on your planet were human, how are you so old? I mean, you look great, but..." He was genuinely interested now.

"My dad wasn't human. The explorers they picked the DNA from that year supposedly showed up in a blue box." Jack's eyes widened as she continued, "They say the DNA that was mum's side was from a woman named Donna. That's why I'm a ginger. They also say dad was a Time Lord. That's why they both showed up in the blue box, because he was a time traveler. I've never met them, but I've heard Time Lords have two hearts." Grace reached forward and took Jack's hand, placing it over her heart, and then moving it to the right side of her chest. Sure enough, she had two heartbeats.

"This is impossible. We need to find him, to tell him..." Jack jumped up, putting his coat back on. "Let's go."

"Where?" She asked as they started walking.

"The park."

"Are you kidding me? The sun's going down. I have to get back home. I need to iron a suit for tomorrow's presentation, get lunch made for tomorrow, answer some emails-"

"You'd rather do that than meet your father? And possibly your mother?"

"Jack, I've spent years trying to blend in. I've lost so many people that I care about, I'm really not up to meeting another one who's just going to regenerate. Don't you ever feel like that, not aging properly?"

"Who told you that I don't age properly?"

"Your coat. It's from the 1940's. And I can tell, since I don't either."

"Well, I don't," he admitted. "I can't die."

"I don't think I can either. You know what, come with me," she said, heading in the opposite direction.

"Where?" It was his turn to ask.

"You're staying with me until I figure out what the heck you are and who my father is."

"His name is the Doctor. And I am 110% okay with that plan."


	2. Chapter 2

"So... where exactly am I staying?" Jack asked. Grace had led him to her flat, which was not very far from the park. It was a modest place, littered with books on nearly every subject. Time had ticked by until Grace was falling asleep on her feet.

"Well, the sofa's taken," she said, gesturing to the piles of literature that adorned the sofa. "So I guess you'll have to take the other side of the bed."

"Okay."

"The other side," Grace stressed. She could tell that this man was a womanizer. Or whatever the fifty-first century equivalent was. An alienizer? She figured that they had differing ideas about lifestyle and life choices in the future.

Grace woke when the sunlight began streaming through the curtains. She opened her eyes and gasped, finding a face next to hers' and a strong arm wrapped around her. "Jack," she whispered, smiling slightly when his blue eyes flicked open.

"Mornin', beautiful," he smiled back, kissing her. "Your father would kill me if he knew what I just did.

"You can do that as many times as you want, 'cuz you can't die." She kissed his nose, sat up, and screamed.

"Grace!" Jack bolted up and grabbed her arm, gaping at what he saw. There was a blue police box in the corner of her room. It definitely hadn't been there before.

A man in a brown striped suit was leaning against the box. "Good morning, Jack," said the man. "Put a shirt on and we'll all talk over breakfast. I've taken the liberty of making some."

"Doctor, I am SO sorry..." Jack said, panicking, "I swear on all of my lives that we didn't do anything more than-"

"Shirt, Jack. Breakfast. Then we'll talk. Tea's on," the man told him, heading out of the room.

"That's him? The Doctor?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, and he doesn't seem too pleased. I wonder why. Maybe because I've just been snogging his daughter, but that's just a theory."

"So," said the Doctor when they joined him in the dining room, "Jack, I leave you here to save the world, and I come back to find you snogging my daughter? Grace, dear, lovely to meet you, by the way. That genetic expansion thing was a brilliant plan of the Modori's, wish I would have known about it. Well, maybe not. But nice to meet you. Now Jack-"

"Ohmigod, that's her? Dear, you've got your mummy's hair!" shrieked a woman who came in from the kitchen, engulfing Grace in a hug. "Sorry I sent him to wake you up, but he's a rubbish cook," She gestured to the Doctor, saying, "Nearly burned the flat down. I'm Donna. Donna Noble. Mum. This is so odd."

"Harkness, you've outdone yourself. When I said you'd flirt with all of time and space, I never figured it would mean my child too," the Doctor told him sternly. "Sorry, Donna, no bagels for me. Not hungry."

"Look-"

"I'm just going to say one thing. I don't disapprove. She could do better, but," he leaned forward, glaring at Jack with all of the fire of the last great Time War in his eyes, "if you ever hurt her, or betray her, or give her any cause to hate you, I WILL make sure you spend the rest of your life regretting it, in more pain than you can possibly imagine. Got it?"

Jack simply nodded as Donna came back with plates for all of them.

"So, Mum, Dad, why did you just decide to pop in now?" Grace asked, stirring a cup of tea. "Of all of time and space, why here and why now?"

"Because your world - the earth - is in danger."

"You save the world all the time, Doctor," Jack said, "What makes this different?"

"I don't know. But the TARDIS detected something going on. There's an election coming up, isn't there? A shift in power."

"Yeah," Grace said, switching the television on.

"Harry Saxon," said the commercial that was playing. "For a better future. Keep him your PM." An image of the man flashed on the screen. He was at a debate, waving to the crowd.

"Well, that's it," the Doctor announced. "We're all in danger."


	3. Chapter 3

"What's so dangerous about Harry Saxon? He's done wonders for the country," Grace asked as they walked down the road, trying not to attract attention. "He got us out of a lot of our debt, reformed the schools-"

"And also is a Time Lord who helped bring down Gallifrey," the Doctor told her.

"Donna - Mum - have you ever met him before?"

"Once or twice," she said as the stopped outside of an imposing government building. "So, Doctor, I guess this is where we split up."

The Doctor nodded, he and Jack heading in one direction and Grace and Donna going another. A guard asked for their identification, nodding at the Psychic Paper they showed him. Walking up to a desk confidently, Grace pulled her mobile out of her bag, announcing, "Ms. Noble, ten o'clock appointment with Mr. Saxon. Patricia, I believe? We spoke earlier. I'm Ms. Noble's assistant, Grace."

"Ah, yes, I seem to remember-" the secretary began, "wait, you aren't in the computer."

"There's been some sort of mistake then. Ms. Noble is quite important. And quite impatient. I trust Prime Minister Saxon isn't too busy to see us."

"Well, if you will take a seat, I'll see what I can do. And you gentlemen are...?" The secretary raised an eyebrow at Jack and the Doctor, who had walked in as Grace and Donna sat down.

"Former Captain Jack Harkness of the Fifth Northumberland, and my lawyer. We have a ten-fifteen appointment," Jack told her, flashing a smile. "I trust you're free."

Grace and Donna snickered, whispering back and forth. Grace had just said, "He's charming, Mum, and he likes me," when they were called into an office.

Harry Saxon sat with his feet up on the desk, telling them to sit. "What are you here for again?"

"We're here to talk to you about the new terrorism bill facing Parliament and how it would affect industry," Grace ad libbed. "We represent-"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said no. You aren't coming here because of some sort of blood bill. Someone sent you here. Probably someone powerful, one of my enemies." Grace swallowed nervously, willing Donna to come up with a cover story. "Probably the press. I know you aren't wearing wires. Those would have been detected. Tell me, how is dear old CAM Publishing doing? It was a lovely business to have supporting me in my first campaign."

"We aren't from CAM. We're from Noble Industries, based in America but dealing through London," Donna told him. "And if you don't mind, I have a meeting with the Marshall Committee on Industry in thirty minutes. Now Mr. Saxon, passing this bill will severely cut into government revenue in many different ways, most importantly what it will cost in time to-"

"Excuse me," a voice said, "there's an Earl Montiss on the phone for you, sir. It's urgent. Ladies, if you will excuse him, and please come with me." Jack escorted them out, whispering, "It won't be long until they discover it's the Doctor calling from the loo on the second floor. Let's get out of here now that he's got the building's plans."

"Wait," Grace said, pressing an ear to the door, not listening to the others' attempts to get her to follow them.

"Daleks," she heard, "yes, I'll work with them if it means complete control. Rule by fear is what I say. No, no sign of him so far. But he won't be far off. Let them know. And keep an eye out for the Doctor."

"Let's go," Grace told them. Once they got out to the street (via a back door and a stolen key), she asked what a Dalek was.

"Well, they're kind of like robots that are bent on taking over the world. They aren't too emotional. And they can fly. They drive around going 'exterminate' all the time," Donna said as an alarm started blaring.

The Doctor ran out of the building, shouting, "Allons-y!" and continuing on. They were a few blocks away when he stopped and told them that he had been caught by security closing the door to a vault.

"Doctor, he's working with the Daleks," Donna said as they got into a cab. "They'll be here soon."

"They'll be here within the day from the sound of it," Grace added.

"Thank you for being squished against me," Jack whispered.

"Now is not the time," Grace replied.

"Hey, official news broadcast," the cabbie told them, turning the radio up.

"Hullo, this is your PM, Harry Saxon, speaking," said the radio, "and I have a very important announcement. No one is to leave their homes starting at noon and ending at four in the afternoon. This is a measure of public safety. The homeless will report to one of the several temporary shelters that have been set up. Again, this is a matter of public safety. It is merely a military exercise, but it is one of the most important since the practice for D day. Thank you, and have a nice day. Transmission over."

"The Daleks will be here in," Grace checked her phone, "half an hour tops."


	4. Chapter 4

"Half an hour? That isn't good, but I can work with it," the Doctor told them. They had jumped out of the cab at Grace's flat and run inside, trying to come up with a plan.

"How can we stop them in half an hour? We don't have nearly enough time for a proper plan," Grace said.

"Plan? I never have a plan, and it's seemed to work out alright," the Doctor shrugged. "But here's what we need. We're going back there. He's holding a luncheon, and you two will be there. The Daleks won't be in until two, after the guests have been fed and given a speech. The Master is dramatic like that."

"Harry Saxon," Donna whispered, clarifying for Grace.

"You two will be there. So will Donna and I, but you'll be invited. You're going to need some fancy clothes, some Psychic Paper..." The Doctor continued on, outlining exactly what they would be doing. The plan seemed straightforward enough. Distract Saxon while the other two sealed the time rift that would allow the Daleks through. There would be enough power in the TARDIS and the building to do it. From what it looked like, not much time energy would be needed. But there was a hitch, which the Doctor finished his speech with, "don't get killed."

"No problem," Jack smiled. "We've got this. Fifteen minutes 'til this soirée. Doctor, do you have a suit I can borrow?"

Jack and the Doctor were rummaging around the TARDIS, looking for suits, while Donna stood in front of a mirror with Grace, pinning her hair up and jabbering away. "How did you two find out I existed?" Grace finally asked.

"Well, we had showed up on your planet a little while before we discovered you existed. Well, we went to that point in time, and you became a fixed point then. The leader of genetic research gave us her business card. When we left, it began to glow blue. It was some sort of electric monitor thingy, and the back read 'Congratulations, you've been selected!'. When we looked up the planet in the Data Core, we found out it did genetic experiments because it was dying. We put the clues together, and BANG! we knew you existed. So-"

"So I ran a search for a half-Doctor worth of time energy and a half-Donna genetic code, and the TARDIS brought us here," the Doctor finished, stepping into the room. "Well, don't you look nice! Perfect for breaking into a government building."

"Phone, keys, dress, hair... I'm ready. Where's Jack?"

"Waiting in the TARDIS," the Doctor explained. "Now remember, you two are millionaires looking to give a big campaign contribution just in time for the election."

"No problem," Grace said, following the Doctor and Donna into the TARDIS.

"Wow," Jack whistled, "you look... wow."

"Thanks."

"Okay, I'm going to bring us to the parking garage outside of the hall where this gala is being hosted. How on, everyone," the Doctor announced as the TARDIS began to move.

In a few seconds, they were moving through the Time Vortex, three of them holding on for dear life while Grace fell into Jack, who laughed and said, "Never flown TARDIS Airlines before, have you? You just have to hold on to me. It's a fancy thing called time turbulence that made you fall, not the fact that he can't drive."

"I heard that, but we're here and there's a world to save, so I won't turn this vehicle around."

They went over their plan outside and split up a few minutes later. The Doctor and Donna had a few minutes to wait until the security staff monitoring the building was switched, but Grace and Jack had to be there soon or they would be locked out and probably searched. "You're taking this well," Donna observed, smiling like crazy. "I've got a daughter! Oh, I can finally shout! I have a daughter, and she's beautiful and smart too! Oh, I can't believe this! Me, a mummy! Doctor, isn't this strange?"

He nodded, saying that it was. And the security team was on the move. He checked to make sure the TARDIS was invisible, and then they headed for the building.

Meanwhile, Grace and Jack had made it to the check-in table. "Captain and Mrs. Harkness," Jack said to the secretary who had been stationed at the table.

"May I see your invitation?" the bored woman asked.

"Honey? Invitation?" Jack was enjoying this. Grace handed over the Psychic Paper that was in her bag. The secretary nodded, checked their names off on the list that the Doctor had altered before, and told them to head inside.

"Honey? Really?" Grace asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

Jack just smiled. "Do you want a drink? Bar's open. And I'm a millionaire."

"I thought you weren't supposed to accept drinks from strange men claiming to be millionaires," she laughed. "Sure."

A few minutes later, someone stood by a podium that had been placed on a stage, tapping a knife on an empty glass. "Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Prime Minister Harry Saxon!"

"Ladies and gentlemen," said the Prime Minister over the applause, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. You have all been essential to the changes we have made in this country. But elections are coming up, and I need your help. In order to change the country, to change the world, I need your help and your support. And time is running out."

Grace and Jack glanced at each other. It was almost as if Saxon had a clock counting down. It was a few minutes after twelve thirty. At the Doctor's estimate, they had an hour and a half until the Daleks arrived. An hour and a half to save the world.


	5. Chapter 5

"You look really nice," Jack smiled.

"So do you," Grace replied as he downed another drink. "Don't you think that's enough drinks for one afternoon?"

"Probably not."

Grace's phone binged. The Doctor and Donna had found the rift. They were working on sealing it. Now they needed security to be thrown off of the trail. "Jack, we need a distraction."

"I'm on it," he replied, loosening his tie and ruffling his hair.

"Are you sure about this?" She thought she knew what he was going to do. This would not end well.

"HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN CHEATING ON ME?!" he erupted.

"Jack! No! Not here, not now!" She hoped that she sounded convincing. "I would never-"

"HOW MANY MEN?! TELL ME!" He was attracting a crowd now. Several people twittered about how scandalous this was, some of them recording the spectacle on their phones. "AREN'T I GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?! AREN'T I ENOUGH?!"

"Jack, please! You know you get like this when you're drinking! Please don't humiliate me in front of-"

"HOW ABOUT YOU DON'T HUMILIATE ME? FIVE YEARS! FIVE YEARS WE'VE BEEN MARRIED! I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU AND SWEPT YOU OFF YOUR FEET. THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE ALWATS TOLD ME!"

"Jack, please," Grace was into her role now. She had managed to begin crying. "You're making a scene! Please, I'll do anything-"

"IS THAT WHAT YOU TOLD THEM?!"

"Jack, stop it!" People were definitely staring now. Hopefully this was a good enough distraction.

Jack pushed up his right sleeve, raising a fist. "SHUT UP, YOU LYING W-"

"Hey there, stop," a security guard said, grabbing Jack's arm. "Don't hit a woman. If you're gonna hit anyone, hit me."

"How much have you had to drink, sir?" another guard asked.

"MORE THAN YOUR MOTHER CAN!"

Grace tried not to laugh as Jack hiccupped and swung at the man, missing on purpose. "Alright, sir, we're going to have to escort you out." Turning to Grace, a guard asked, "Should we let him sleep this off in a cell somewhere? Is he abusing you, ma'am?"

"No, no, he gets like this sometimes, but only when he drinks," Grace told them. "He'll be fine. I'll take him home."

"Are you sure you'll be okay? Is there a number that we can reach you at to make sure you are alright later?"

"Yes, yes," Grace said, scrawling a number for auto insurance on a napkin and giving it to the guard. "Let's go, Jack." She hurled him up by the arm, half dragging him out of the hall.

"I can't believe you," Grace said when they got back to the TARDIS.

"I can't believe how incredibly hot you are," Jack smiled. "You're a great actress too."

Grace's phone went off. _Sealed the rift. Be there in a few minutes. Don't do anything stupid. – Doctor _

Jack laughed at the text and kissed her, saying, "Smartest decision of my life."


	6. Chapter 6

A week had gone by since Harry Saxon's banquet. The government had called off the Dalek attack, apparently. Well, it had been mysteriously halted for the time being, at least. An expert team was working on reopening the rift, but it would take time. The Doctor had decided to stay with Grace, so people were coming and going at all hours. He had put them all on a schedule, monitoring Saxon's movements. If an attack was imminent, they would be ready.

"Hey." Grace was sitting on the roof of a building with a pair of binoculars, spying into an office across the street. She had been there since the sun had started setting. She glanced at her watch - it was now nearing ten, and nighttime London was coming alive.

"Hey," she said back as Jack sat down, lacing his fingers with hers'.

"You okay?"

"Fine."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the office and the people on the street five stories below. A fight broke out on the street, but it stopped abruptly when a police car pulled up. "You're sure everything's okay?"

"Saxon's been in the office for a while talking to his lawyer. They sent a secretary for Chinese food a few hours ago. Nothing conspicuous."

"No, I mean with you."

"It's weird, having mum and dad. I mean, they didn't know I existed until a little while ago, and it's just odd having them here. It's all... sudden. I don't know if I like it or not. This war with the Master or whatever he calls himself isn't helping. I like knowing I'm not the only one who lives for a long time, but I have a feeling plenty of people are going to die before the Master is killed." She paused for a minute before asking, "Jack? You've lost people, haven't you?"

"More than anyone's share. It's been a long lifetime," he answered with a sigh, "but I'm glad I have you."

She said nothing, leaning her head on his shoulder. They hadn't exchanged another word when Donna came to tell them that she would be taking over the watch. Jack nodded as Grace handed over her binoculars. "The Doctor's at the flat. He's either tinkering with the toaster or asleep on the sofa," Donna told them.

When they arrived, the Doctor was busy taking apart the microwave. He said something about them working on minute amounts of time energy, but Grace blocked it out. Her phone had just buzzed, a text announcing that all government offices would be closed the next day due to an outbreak of the flu. Everyone should stay inside and take all necessary precautions, and watch the press conference Prime Minister Saxon would be giving the next day. "Doctor... dad, look," she said, showing him the message. It seemed like the Dalek attack wasn't set back too far.

He shook his head, telling her to call Donna. They needed all hands on deck to prepare for tomorrow.

When Donna arrived, Grace's living room looked more like a war room. Plans and maps of the buildings involved were all over the place, the news was playing on the telly, and tea had been promptly distributed. "We had a good system," the Doctor was saying when Donna came in. "Grace, Jack, tomorrow you're going to edge into the press conference dressed as legal interns. You'll get by just fine. Donna and I can find where they've opened up a rift and attempt to seal it. It may not work, but it's the best idea I have."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Donna said in approval. When Grace and Jack were hunting for folders and briefcases they would need the next day, she turned to the Doctor. "Sealing another one of those will need more time energy than the last one, won't it?"

"It will," he said gravely. "A lot of it. But there aren't any nearby neutron stars I could get it from safely. It'll need partial Time Lord energy. I'd estimate half of a Time Lord's energy."

"But you can't just die."

"I intend to get Harry to do it."

"And if it doesn't work? What then?"

"Then we figure something out."


	7. Chapter 7

"Doctor," Donna asked as she was helping him clean up remnants of dinner, "how did the TARDIS not pick up on Grace? Doesn't it locate Time Lords automatically?"

"I've wondered that myself," he told her, "and I looked her up in the Data Core. Donna, she's a," he lowered his voice, looking around before whispering, "fixed point in time."

"Yeah, so?" Donna asked. They headed to the TARDIS, where Jack and Grace were waiting. The Doctor had promised to take them on an abbreviated tour of some of the best spots in the universe before they had to stop Harry Saxon. In earth time, they would be back before the press conference the next day.

"Grace, Jack, we all ready? It's pretty late now, since we didn't finish working out the plan until eleven and the take away place screwed up our order, so we'll be onboard for bedtime. This grate," he pulled aside a panel in the floor, "leads to some rooms. Beds should be on the third level below. Nothing too harmful is down there. Just don't head to the basement. I'm not sure if I left some chemicals boiling down there in the year 22100 or not. I wouldn't take a chance."

"Third level? And do you have running water? And air conditioning suited to humans?" Grace asked, looking around at all of the screens with Gallifreyan writing on them.

"Third level," the Doctor nodded. "The TARDIS has running water and suitable air conditioning. You'll find it's very homey. Everything's unlocked."

"Those circles there, do they say something about Harry Saxon and the Daleks? Something like 'the Master's plan relies on the Daleks arriving on time' or something like that?" she asked next.

"Yes," the Doctor relied, astounded. "But Gallifreyan isn't translated by the TARDIS... wow. You're better than I thought. As clever as Donna." Grace headed downstairs, Jack about to follow her when the Doctor called him back. "Jack," he said with a warning look.

"Doctor."

"Jack."

"Doctor?"

"Jack, I trust you, but-"

"No funny business. I got it," he smiled.

"Remember my warning," the Doctor said before he waved Jack away.

"Now what was that about a fixed point in time?" Donna asked when she was sure they were out of earshot.

"She's a fixed point, and it fixes tomorrow."

"What does that mean? Don't give me all of this time-man language, just tell me."

The Doctor sat down, pushing a button and throwing a few levers that brought the TARDIS in an orbit around the earth before saying, "A fixed point is something that would change the history of the world dramatically if it was changed, like the American Revolution. It had to happen, or the world would be very different. She's a fixed point. That means that whatever happens to her will determine the course of history. And the TARDIS has it on record that the point is fixed tomorrow. The change in history will be decided tomorrow."

"You mean she's going to die?" Donna gaped. "You can't let that happen!"

"I have to," the Doctor said, shaking his head. "We'll need half of a Time Lord to seal that rift. We only have three options, and I don't think the world would be better in the long run if I threw myself or the TARDIS into the rift."

"Better off in the long run? So she'd be a good choice to kill?!"

"She's the least-worst option."

"She doesn't have to die. She shouldn't have to. My daughter, Doctor! Our daughter! We shouldn't just let her die!"

Meanwhile, Jack and Grace had found their room. It was relatively small, about the size of a hotel room, but it was the best room in the space travel business that Grace had ever seen. "I'll be back," she told Jack, glancing out of the window for a second. From there, they could see the moon and part of the earth.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked, though she had already closed the door.

Grace could tell that Donna seemed on edge earlier, and she was determined to find out what it was about. As she approached the grate, she could her them talking. Well, shouting. "We shouldn't just let her die," Donna was saying. Intrigued, Grace sat on the stairs, careful to stay in the shadows.

"Doctor, there has to be another way! We can't just let her die, knowing that she'll die tomorrow! Can't you do something about fixed points?"

"If the rift isn't sealed, the earth will be taken over by Daleks. We have no options."

"Can't we throw something from the TARDIS into it? Stuff absorbs time energy in here."

"It wouldn't be nearly enough. I can't burn up the sun either, and there are no closer stars."

"But she's our daughter! Did you see them, her and Jack? They adore each other! If you won't save her for me, save her for him! Look what she's done. She's turned him around, from what I hear."

"He sleeps around because he's gotten used to seeing everyone he cares about die, or grow old without him, or a million other things. He knows that in the end, they'll all go on, but he's stuck living his life on the earth, trying to fight aliens and rebuild Torchwood. He's finally found someone who will live as long as he does. That's why he isn't as much of the Mr. Promiscuous that he was before."

"And you want to kill the woman that made that possible?"

"One or the world?"

"When did you plan on telling me?" Grace asked, stepping out from the shadows. "Or did you?"

"Tell you what, Grace, dear?" Donna asked.

"Tell me that I'm going to die tomorrow, a little past seven in the evening. I heard your row. And I can read Gallifreyan. The files are still up. You weren't going to tell me? Or Jack? Why?"

"Would you want to live your last day knowing it's only a matter of time?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes," Donna and Grace both replied, Grace continuing, "I'd want to live in my last day, not just exist. Is this why you're taking me to see the universe? So I can die knowing I've lived up to some of my Time Lord potential?"

"I don't want you to die at all. But-"

"I have to. I get it. But I would have appreciated some more notice."

"Grace, I'm sorry," the Doctor said, giving her a hug. "I really am. But you're a fixed point, and there are parts of history that, if I rewrite them, will kill everyone."

"It's fine. Goodnight, dad. Mum." Grace went back down the stairs, pausing before going into her room. She was about to die. Her time was actually running out. For years, it had been running out, but now it was quicker than ever. She sighed, and turned the doorknob.

"Everything alright?" Jack asked, noting her face. He had been sitting on the bed, watching the earth from the window.

"Fine," Grace replied, sitting down next to him.

Comprehending that SOMETHING was wrong, he put his arms around her, pulling her close and saying, "I love you."

She managed a smile and said, "I love you too, Jack."

"What's wrong? C'mon, you can tell me."

"Jack, I want to run with you. I want to run and never stop. And never look back, for the rest of forever."

"Then we can do that. Come with me when all of this mess is over. Help me rebuild Torchwood, and spend the rest of forever with me. Grace Ross, if I had a ring, I would propose. Could you imagine that? Mrs. Harkness, how would that suit you?"

"I can't."

"What?"

"I can't. Jack... I'm going to die. Tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" he asked, keeping his arms around her.

"I'm a fixed point... a fixed point in time. The point is fixed tomorrow. I have to die to close the rift. The Doctor and the TARDIS can't be thrown in there, and the sun would screw everything up if we used it to close the rift. So it has to be me."

"No. I'm the man who can't die. I'll do it."

"You're not a Time Lord. You'd need more time energy. You can't, and even if you could, I wouldn't let you."

"I'll find something. There's got to be a way. Grace, I promise I'll find a way to make sure you don't have to die. There has to be a way." He kissed the top of her head, both of them watching the moon circle the earth out of their window in silence.


	8. Chapter 8

"Marry me."

"What?" Grace asked, looking at Jack. Neither of them had said a word in the previous fifteen minutes. Instead, they stared at the moon drifting away, most likely thinking about what would have to happen the next day.

"Marry me, Grace. Come with me to the new Torchwood, and spend forever with me. We'll find a way to keep you alive, I promise."

"Jack, it's hopeless. I have to die."

He sighed, kissed her forehead, and told her, "I'll be right back" before heading out of the room.

A few minutes later, he returned. Grace hadn't moved from her spot on the bed, staring at the earth and the moon outside. "Grace Ross, will you marry me?"

"Jack," she exclaimed, turning to see him kneeling and holding up a ring with a purple stone. She sighed, putting a hand to his face. "I can't. You know I can't."

"I don't care if you're going to have to die tomorrow. Marry me. Please."

"We don't have a priest or officials or witnesses..."

"We can find some. Disregarding everything else, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she said, "I must be insane, but yes."

"Doctor, we have a question," Jack began. They had gone to find the Doctor and Donna, who were in the TARDIS' library, which held all sorts of specimens in addition to many rare books. The Doctor raised an eyebrow, allowing Jack to continue. "Will you marry us?"

"What?!" Donna practically shouted. "You've known each other for how long? A week? Ten days?"

"Donna," the Doctor said, pulling her aside, "she's dying tomorrow, and she knows it. Can't you see how happy the two of them are? And how she's improved Jack?"

"Oh, right. You time travelers have different concepts of marriage. Well... if it'll make her happier, I don't think we should begrudge a dying person's wishes. Very well," she turned back to the others, announcing, "We say yes."

"Hold hands," the Doctor instructed. "Now I say that I consent and gladly give. Donna?"

"I also consent and gladly give. Jack?"

"I do. Grace?"

"I do."

"Jack," the Doctor nodded at him. "You may kiss the bride."

"I love you, Mrs. Harkness," Jack smiled, kissing Grace just as the TARDIS moved out of the solar system.

"You must be insane, marrying a doomed woman," Grace smiled.

"Then love is insane."

"Alright, you two," the Doctor said, "You're married. Happy? Now this doesn't stop the time rift and the fixed point that is tomorrow. I hope you know that."

The next day, Grace and Jack climbed the stairs to the second level of the TARDIS to find the Doctor and Donna talking over cups of coffee in the kitchen. The window provided a view of an odd planetary system. "Where exactly are we?" Grace asked. "I don't remember learning about a place that looks like this in primary school."

"Boe," Jack said before the Doctor could answer.

"Boe?"

"The Boeshane Peninsula, fifty-first century. Doctor, this is before..."

"It looks nice outside," Grace said, looking at the beach outside the window. "Is this earth in the future? And before what?"

"I think so," Donna told her.

"Jack? Before what? Jack?" Grace put a hand on his arm, Jack turning to look at her from the window.

"Before we were nearly wiped out by some of the worst creatures imaginable. Before I lost my brother and many of my friends. Before Boe fell into chaos." He turned back to the window.

"I'm sorry," she said, holding his hand and standing with him by the window. "I didn't know."

"It's fine. Let's go eat breakfast on the beach. We can't go into the city though. Or, well, I can't, anyway."

"Then none of us will. That sounds like a great idea."

Breakfast on the Boeshane beach was wonderful. "This is where that stone came from," Jack confessed to Grace, pointing at her ring. "Boe has mines where they find that stuff. It only comes in purple and green, and is shipped to the Time Agency a lot."

"It's lovely. Jack, I'm sorry we came here. This is a beautiful place, but you've lost too many people here. You've lost too many people all across time and space. And you're going to lose me too," she apologised.

"It's fine. And I'm not going to lose you. I'm going to make sure I don't have to. Can you imagine it? The Harknesses, immortal time travelers."

"Sounds great."

"I love you, Mrs. Harkness," he smiled, kissing her nose.

"Alright, you lot, it's time to move on. We have plenty of other planets to visit, so snog in the TARDIS, please!" Donna called.


	9. Chapter 9

"Where are we now?" Grace asked, looking out of the window on the third floor of the TARDIS. They had left Boe a few seconds before, but had travelled through the Time Vortex quickly.

Jack smiled, shaking his head. "I've got an idea of what planet he wants to take us to. I think you'll need a coat."

"True," the Doctor said, sticking his head into the room. "There's a closet full of them down the hall, purple door on the right. Dress warmly and be upstairs in five minutes!"

They were upstairs in three. "Now I have to warn you, this planet isn't full of humans."

"And? You aren't human. I'm only half, and Jack... I think you're human, aren't you?" Grace asked, taking his gloved hand in her own.

"Kind of? Human implies mortality, doesn't it, Doctor? Ah, well, I'm happy, and that counts for something."

"The inhabitants of this planet will offer you anything you want. They're programmed to be servants."

"Let's go! We're wasting time," Donna told him. She opened the door of the TARDIS, a freezing wind blasting all of them as the stepped outside.

"This is what the blitz felt like kilometers above London," Jack whispered to Grace, his breath forming clouds as they walked on.

"Hello," said a voice. "How can I be of assistance?"

"Doctor, what is that?" Grace asked, staring at the creature that was in front of them. It had a bald head, some sort of tentacle-like beard (or beard-like tentacles?) and a glowing ball that it held up like a translator.

"I am Ood Elipson Five," said the creature. "Do you need direction to a building?"

"Hullo, Elipson Five," the Doctor said to the creature. Grace shot a concerned look at Jack, who didn't react. "I'm the Doctor. Do you remember me? And Donna."

"Doctor. Donna," the Ood bowed and sounded astonished, if an Ood could sound astonished. "Our race is indebted to you, Doctor Donna."

"Ah, yes. Well, I've come to show Jack and Grace your planet."

"Magnificent Grace. Doctor Grace?" the Ood asked.

"Ah, yes. I'm related to the Doctor," she told the Ood.

They followed the Ood around, meeting many more of its kind and touring the planet, before the Doctor announced that they had to go. As they entered the TARDIS, the Ood sang them a goodbye that they promised would be known by generations to come. The tales of the Doctor and Donna in Ood history would now feature two new characters.

"What's up next?" Grace asked, shedding her coat and sitting down in the TARDIS.

"Let's see, how about historical France?" The Doctor said no more, and hit a few buttons and pulled a lever, launching them into the Time Vortex. Grace grabbed Jack's arm, stabilizing herself as they vaulted through space and time.

"What do you think? Want to travel with us forever?" he asked.

"I wish."

"Okay, ladies and... Jack. We're here."

They stepped out of the TARDIS to find themselves on an occupied street "OPEN FIRE!" someone called, and they heard the crack of guns. Donna and the Doctor dove behind the TARDIS, and Jack wasted no time in tackling Grace.

"What the hell is going on?"

"A wonderful thing called the Reign of Terror. There's a guillotining coming up next. It's the queen."

"No thanks."

"Let's try somewhere more fun," the Doctor suggested when they were back in the TARDIS after being pursued by an angry Frenchman. "Ah!"

Grace braced herself, the TARDIS vaulting into the Vortex again. When they stopped, the Doctor instructed them to put on fancy clothes from the closet on the third level. "We're going to a party. Try to fit into the 1950's, okay?"

"Where are we now?" Grace gasped when they walked outside, decked out in finery. They had crashed a party of sorts. Women in dresses worth more than many people made in a year stood talking to men in tuxedos and military uniforms. The party seemed centered around a blonde woman in white and an older man in uniform.

"Welcome to Buenos Aires," the Doctor told them. "That's the 'president' and his wife. Everyone loves them, and they're hosting this as a charity gala. Have fun."

Jack and Grace wandered off, taking everything in. "Excuse me?" a female voice asked. They turned to see the blonde woman behind them. "I don't remember your names. Are you Colonel Azeres? I didn't know you had gotten married, José."

"No, I'm Captain Jack Harkness. And this is Grace, my wife of scarcely twenty four hours. Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

"The pleasure is all mine," she smiled. "I'm sure you know Juan. Please, call me Eva. And dear Grace, where did you get that dress? It looks fabulous!"

And thus they spent the next hour or so talking with the first lady of Argentina. When she floated off to talk to a general, Grace turned to Jack and told him, "She was totally flirting."

"Okay, and?"

"I'm proud of you."

"For what?"

"For not flirting back, Jack!"

"We're late," Donna came running up. "Thank goodness I've found you. The Doctor and I have been searching for you two forever. We have to be back in London before seven. It's six now."

Grace sighed, looking at Jack. It had been a fun day, but it couldn't last forever. From an objective point of view, they looked like fairytale characters - the girl in a beautiful dress, holding hands with a handsome military captain at a party full of the most important and influential people in the country. But it was a dream that couldn't last. "Let's go," she sighed as a violinist began scratching out a tune. The look in Jack's eyes said everything that neither of them had wanted to say aloud. "It's time to go home."

Back aboard the TARDIS, they all changed out of their party clothes and into suits, meeting on the main deck. "We'll be heading right to the press conference, so make sure you have everything you need," the Doctor advised.

As the Doctor piloted them through the Time Vortex, Grace sat next to Jack, holding his hand. "I want to do this forever. Jack, I want to run with you forever. Fighting aliens and stopping Daleks and all of the other things you've told me about. I want to see the universe, and more than just the tiny slice of it that I can see on earth."

"Nah, you just want to be with me forever," he smiled.

"That too."

"We're here," Donna said somberly. She rushed over and engulfed Grace in a hug. "I love you, dear. Never forget that. We'll do all that we can."

"I'll do everything I can to get the rift to close," the Doctor promised. "We won't need your help unless there are no other options."

"Thank you for everything," she told him. "It's been wonderful. I only wish I could travel forever. Jack? It's time. Allons-y."

Donna and the Doctor watched the two of them exit the TARDIS

"How did she know that's what you always say?"

"No idea. But we are going to save her life. There's no way she's becoming a fixed point in time. I promise you that, Donna Noble."


	10. Chapter 10

Harry Saxon had been talking for half an hour when Jack noticed the remote he had on the podium. He said nothing to Grace about this, but he held her hand in silence. They had dutifully been taking notes, but Grace had stopped, zoning out completely. Jack couldn't blame her. He wondered what staying dead was like. Death itself had been easy, despite the pain involved. But after death... he didn't know.

"... which is why, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to my -our - new partners," Saxon announced, pushing a button on the remote. Part of the wall behind him slid open to reveal another room. It was the remnants of an office, but a glowing crack spread across the wall. "This is time. In time, we can find our greatest allies. Daleks, meet the human race. Human race, the Daleks."

A lone Dalek emerged from the rift in time, the crowd jumping up and running backwards. "The Daleks do not come to harm the humans," the Dalek announced. "Scanning human beings." It moved towards the group as two other Daleks emerged from the wall.

"Non-human material," one of them announced when it reached Grace and Jack. "The female has Time Lord genetics."

"Time Lord? That's impossible," Harry Saxon remarked, walking towards the now frightened crowd of reporters and interns.

"The female has Time Lord genetics."

"Yes, I heard you. I just don't understand how."

"What the bloody hell are those metal things? And what's a Time Lord?" A brave reporter had decided to speak out. The Daleks turned to him.

"The male questions us. There is only one solution. EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" The man was vaporized instantly.

The huddled group shrieked and pressed for the door, but it had been locked when they entered. Jack grabbed Grace's hand again as the Daleks turned back to her and Harry Saxon reached them. "How do you have the partial genetic sequence of a Time Lord, girl? And you, are you a brave man or an incredibly foolish one?"

"I'll tell you how," Grace said, the room falling silent as everyone, even the Daleks, focused on her. "My home planet engineered me from the DNA of the Doctor and Donna Noble, essentially making me half of a Time Lord. I can regenerate, and I haven't been able to die, at least not yet. I've been on this planet for over a hundred years."

"EXTERMINATE THE DOCTOR!"

"NO!" Saxon stopped the Dalek. "We're keeping her. We need to bait the Doctor, and she's perfect for the job."

"Male, identify. Why do you protect the female?" the Dalek closest to Saxon asked.

"Captain Jack Harkness. And it's a concept you Daleks don't understand. It's called love."

"Daleks love power," a Dalek told him. "EXTERMINATE THE MALE!" There was a flash and Jack fell beside Grace.

"No!" Completely disregarding Harry Saxon and the Daleks, she dropped to her knees beside him. "Jack? Please, say something, Jack. Please..."

"I feel... fried," he smiled. Grace gave a relieved laugh and helped him up. "Toasty, but I didn't get a tan. How disappointing."

"The male cannot die. But he is not a Time Lord."

"Oh, but I am," came a voice from behind them. The Daleks and Saxon turned to see the Doctor and Donna standing by the crack in the wall. "Nice time rift you've got here. Too bad I have to close it. It would make a nice wall hanging."

"You can't," Saxon smiled. "It would kill you. Burn out the sun, and it's the end of this solar system. Even you can't stop me now, Doctor."

The journalists remaining in the room gasped. They had been helping each other out of a single window, but the few that were left were soon reduced to nothing by the Daleks.

"Master, the Daleks will subjugate you too," the Doctor said, "You'll have nothing to be the master of. They're using you."

"The Daleks acknowledge the superiority of the Master," the Dalek that had killed the remaining journalists countered. "The Master shall reign supreme."

"You're really going to listen to that?" Grace asked. "The Daleks are some of the worst liars in the universe. No emotion equals the ability to lie well and not betray guilt. You can really be an idiot sometimes."

"You go, girl," Donna smiled.

"Look," Jack said, putting a hand on the Master's shoulder. "This is ridiculous. How about we all just - AAGH!" The Master had pushed him straight into the wall without as much as a second thought.

"Jack!" Grace ran over to see if he was alright. But, of course, he was. "How dare you? You're nothing but a little boy looking for attention by hanging out with the bullies of the universe. I almost feel bad for you."

"Every minute that rift is open, the stronger the Daleks get," Jack whispered. "We've got to shut it soon." The Doctor got the hint and handed Donna his Sonic Screwdriver. She was able to scan the rift as the Master made some grand retort. She signaled that the rift would indeed require an immense amount of Time Energy to close.

"Before you kill me, which you most obviously want to do so you can fully open your rift thingy, release the Dalek army and take over the world, may I say something to Jack?" Grace dared to ask the Master.

"No."

"Three words and I'll say them in front of you," she bargained. Without waiting for him to answer, she turned to Jack and, with a sigh, told him, "I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her, the Doctor and Donna smiling while the Master scowled. Jack pulled her into a strong hug, whispering, "I wish I could protect you, but we're surrounded. I love you."

She stepped out of his embrace reluctantly, moving away from everyone else and closer to the rift. When she touched the crack in the wall, her hand began to glow gold. "No. Grace, stop! There has to be another way!" Jack ran towards her, but the Doctor and Donna pulled him back. There was nothing they could do. Her whole body was glowing gold now. The rift began to seal, the Daleks flying back inside it. The Master was pulled in as well, screaming that he would be back one day. The rift itself gave off a burst of blue light and closed silently.

Grace crumpled to the floor. Jack was the first one to reach her, grabbing her arm and feeling for a pulse. "Faint, but there," the Doctor announced when Jack couldn't locate one.

"Jack?" Grace asked, barely above a whisper. "Does it hurt? Dying?"

"No." He kissed her forehead, holding her as close as he could. "It's terrifying, but I'm right here. It's okay." He had begun to stroke her hair, the Doctor and Donna watching silently. Neither of them had ever seen Jack like this. "I'm not leaving you. It's okay."

"Should we...?" Donna whispered to the Doctor.

"Yeah," he nodded, and the two of them left the room, the Doctor nodding to Jack before going off to comfort Donna.

"Jack, I... I'm scared. I..."

"It's okay. I'm right here. And I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. And for me, well, that's saying a lot."

"I love you too. But you've lost so many people, Jack..."

"It doesn't matter. You did this to save us all. The universe will never forget you, I'll make sure of that," he promised.

"I wanted to run with you. To go to Torchwood Three. To spend forever with you."

"It's okay. It's all okay," he whispered, for himself as much as it was for her.

"Jack Harkness, my husband, I love you. I know being immortal's hard. I know. But I love you. I always will. Remember that. I'll always love you. You're not alone." She leaned into his embrace and was silent for a moment before he felt her stop breathing.

"No," he whispered, holding her close and finally allowing the first hot tears to roll down his face. "No... Grace... NO!"

Listening at the door, the Doctor turned to Donna and shook his head, pulling her into a hug as she began to cry.


	11. Chapter 11

When Ianto and Gwen walked into Torchwood's main room, they were glad to see that Jack had returned. "Where have you been?" Gwen asked. "Do you want some coffee? You look like a zombie." Jack only sighed.

"Work," he announced, clapping his hands together and jumping up. "We have work to do, I trust. I'm going to try to get the vortex manipulator we had up and running. You all must have something to work on."

"Okaaaay," Gwen shook her head, walking towards her computer. Ianto shrugged and went to work. The others arrived soon after and went off to work on separate projects.

At first no one noticed the sniffling coming from one of the desks. It was only when they heard a voice say, "Oh God, she'd love this" that they all turned to Jack. He had some sort of device dismantled all over his desk, but had given up working on it. His head was in his hands, and he sat here in silence.

"What's wrong?"

"Where have you been?"

"Jack, I've never seen you like this..."

"Her name was Grace," he finally told them. "She would have loved Torchwood. She wanted to come here, you know. But she died. She sacrificed herself to close the time rift that Harry Saxon created. She wanted to run with us forever, and she would - could - have if she didn't..."

"Jack," Owen interrupted, "I'm sorry if I never got the memo, but who's Grace?"

"My wife."

The Doctor and Donna stood looking at the body that had been laid respectfully on a table on the fourth floor of the TARDIS. They had been floating for a day after Jack had insisted on being dropped off at Torchwood. Neither of them had the will to ceremonially burn the body just yet. Although she was only half Time Lord, the discovery of Grace's body would change science and medicine in ways that the world was not prepared for. Since Time Lords didn't decay, they would have to burn her. "You think he's going to be alright? Jack?" Donna asked, glancing at the Doctor.

"No."

He turned to head out of the room, but Donna called him back. "Doctor!"

He looked back for a second and announced, "We have to get to Torchwood" before running upstairs.

"What the...? Jack, we've got a man in a trench coat circling the entrance. It looks like he can see through the - is that a Sonic Screwdriver?"

Seconds later, the Doctor and Donna marched in. Disregarding the stunned looks of the others gathered around his desk, Donna looked Jack in the eye and presented an ultimatum. "Come with us."

He shook his head, telling her, "There's no reason for me to go with you. I'd get more work done here. And besides..."

"Oh no, you'll like this," the Doctor promised.

"Jack," Ianto put a hand on his shoulder, "go. They need you. We can run Torchwood on our own for a bit while you go with them."

"Where are we going?" Jack asked, following the Doctor down the stairs of the TARDIS after they had gone back to floating in space and time. The Doctor opened a door on the third level. "No. Why?" Grace was lying in a bed next to a window that offered a view of spinning galaxies. "It looks almost like she's alive. Doctor, why are you doing this to me?"

The Doctor simply stared at him. When he turned to Donna, she too only stared.

"Jack," came a faint voice. "Jack..."

He dropped into a chair beside the bed, grabbing her hand. "Grace? She's so cold. Grace, can you hear me?"

"Jack..."

"She's been asking for you for a while," the Doctor told him.

"Scared the hell out of me," Donna added.

"Jack..."

"I'm right here," he said softly, kissing her forehead. "I'm not leaving you. Ever. I love you, Grace Harkness."

"...love you, Jack..."


	12. Chapter 12

Jack, Donna and the Doctor had been sitting by Grace's bedside for nearly three hours when she started to talk coherently. Jack hadn't let go of her hand. While the others quietly talked, he had been silent, watching Grace the whole time. "Am I in a hospital?" she asked, "What happened? Oh goodness, did I step in front of a cab?" Turning to the Doctor, she asked, "Are you my doctor? Am I going to be okay? I can still feel my toes, so I'm not paralyzed, I don't think."

"I'm the Doctor. Grace, what is the last thing you remember?"

"I was walking home from work and... I stepped out into the road, but this man saved my life. I would have been run over if it wasn't for him. We stopped for coffee, and then... then... I don't know. Was I drugged?!"

"No," the Doctor told her. "That's the last thing you remember? Grace... I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor... Doctor... Doctor! Dad. And you must be Mum, right?" she turned to Donna, wincing. "I remember! The Doctor and Donna. My parents. There were those metal thinks... Dereks? No... Daleks! And you two travel around in a blue phone box, all across the universe. Across time and space."

"Yes," Donna smiled, "you gave us quite a scare, young lady. Do you remember the time rift? You were so brave... you closed it."

"You saved the world, Grace," the Doctor told her.

"Grace?" Jack asked her. She turned to him, looking puzzled. "Do you know who I am?"

There was a long pause in which everyone seemed to hold their breath collectively. "No."

"I'm Jack," he told her. She still looked puzzled. "Captain Jack Harkness. Your Jack. No? Not ringing a bell?"

"I'm sorry. If I'm supposed to remember you, I don't. Were you important to me? And why are you holding my hand?"

"Oh no," Donna said under her breath.

"I care about you. A lot. I'm your" Jack paused, seeing the Doctor subtly shake his head, mouthing , 'don't tell her yet', "your friend. We were... close."

"Oh. I don't remember you. Even your name isn't familiar. Are you sure we were close?"

"Jack, can I talk to you?" The Doctor pulled him into the hall, promising Grace that they would be right back. When the door closed behind them, he shook his head sadly, saying, "I'm sorry. The triggers that made her remember Donna and I don't seem to work for you. She seems to remember everything BUT you. Jack, I don't know if she ever will." Jack didn't say anything as the Doctor continued, "All we can do is keep talking to her and hope that she remembers you. If not... well, if not, we won't blame you if you want to go back to Torchwood."

As they walked back inside, they overheard Grace asking why she was wearing a ring with an odd looking stone. Donna explained that her friend had gotten it for her from the Boeshane peninsula, a place that they all had visited. Grace seemed to remember their visit, but not the man in the vintage coat that returned to her bedside.

"Jack, I'm sorry, but I just don't know who you are. It doesn't feel like I've ever seen you before today."

"Grace, Donna and I are going to let you and Jack talk, okay? We'll be right outside if you need us," the Doctor told her. She nodded, and Donna followed the Doctor out of the door.

"Do you mind if I hold your hand?" Jack asked.

"It's fine," she replied, slipping her hand into his. "Jack, who are you? I wasn't going to say everything in front of them, but... did we go out once? I don't know why, but this feels right." She leaned over and kissed him, still looking puzzled after she pulled away. "Why does that seem right?"

"Come here," he sighed, pulling her into a hug. With his arms wrapped around her, he whispered, "Even if you never remember who I am, I'm not going to leave you. I'll be here for you, no matter what. And I promise that I will always love you."

"Jack Harkness," she gasped, looking up at him. "Jack Harkness... my Jack Harkness. How could I ever forget you? I remember everything now. I remember that... I love you." She hugged him tightly.

"You know who I am?"

"My husband. My wonderful husband. My Jack Harkness, who fights aliens with Torchwood. My Jack Harkness, who I love more than anything or anyone in all of space and time."


	13. Chapter 13

Jack and Grace became inseparable. He refused to leave her bedside for days, except to use the bathroom and get food from the TARDIS' kitchen when Donna stopped bringing him his meals and only brought food for Grace. He would sleep curled up in a chair next to her bed, holding her hand. Sometimes he would tell her stories about living through a hundred years on earth, and others they would sit there in silence. Grace slept a lot and was terribly weak and tired even when she was awake, but it looked like she would survive.

Donna was passing by Grace's room one night when she overheard Jack talking about Torchwood. "Ianto does a bit of everything, and Owen hardly does any real work. Gwen's nice. She's a great part if our team - I think you'd like her. Tosh is a big techie, but I think you'd like her too. We have a pet pterodactyl. He likes chocolate. I'll let you feed him when we get back to Cardiff."

"I thought those had died out. And do you keep aliens there?"

"They did. And we sometimes have them. Making sure they don't escape is a big part of Ianto's job."

"And what do you do? Sit around and look handsome?"

"I'm the director of operations. I do a lot of recon work and all sorts of other stuff. You'd love it there. You can come with me, you know. When we get to Cardiff, when you're better, I'll take you to meet everyone."

"I'd like that," she smiled. "Working anywhere else would seem pointless after this."

Donna headed away, not giving the conversation any more thought until the day she and the Doctor were seeing Jack and Grace off. "You take care of her now, young man," Donna instructed as the left.

Jack and Grace stood together, watching the TARDIS disappear from view after they had been dropped off at a flat in Cardiff. Grace's things had been sent over from London, and her old office had been notified that she was leaving. She and Jack had moved in together, the Doctor and Donna heading out after they had helped to unpack.

She hadn't questioned him when Jack had told her to stand next to him at a specific spot in the middle of the city, ad onky gasped when they started to move down. "Perception filter?"

"Yes. Welcome to Torchwood," Jack smiled, showing her a large workroom, complete with a pterodactyl flying overhead.

"Oi, Jack's back!" someone called. A group came over to greet them.

"She's pretty. Nice job, Jack," the man who introduced himself as Owen raised his eyebrows. Turning to Grace, he added, "If you ever get tired of him, I'm single. Even if I'm not, I'm available."

"I think I'll stick with Jack, thank you," Grace smiled. She pecked her husband on the cheek, Jack kissing her nose in return.

"You two are so cute together," Gwen told them. "Grace, congratulations. You're the one who's finally tamed him. Before, he tried to hook up with anyone who would have him. You've made him a better man."

"It's a miracle," Tosh laughed. "Good job, Mrs. Harkness."

Thus they lived in a happy world for a few weeks. Grace and Jack would head to work together every morning, sometimes stopping for coffee or donuts to share with the others. Their mornings were spent at Torchwood experimenting or tinkering with alien technologies, and the whole group would go out for lunch together. The afternoons sometimes involved driving out to investigations or meeting with government officials and others with extremely high security clearances. Near six, they would usually all start heading for home, unless there was work to do. In that case, pizza or fish and chips would be ordered, and they would work late into the night. If not, Jack and Grace would return to their flat, take turns cooking, and spend their evenings talking or curling up together watching the telly.

Everything seemed normal a few days before Halloween. Grace and Jack had brought donuts and coffee that morning, and everyone was working indoors. Jack had a high-power laser beam disassembled on his desk and Grace was feeding the pterodactyl part of a chocolate bar when she began to feel sick. She dropped the chocolate, which the dinosaur gladly finished, and ran to the restroom.

Disregarding the potentially hazardous materials on his desk, Jack ran after her. A few minutes later, he sat on the restroom floor rubbing Grace's back as she retched. He handed her a bottle of water when she was done, not saying a word as he pulled her into a gentle hug. "When were you going to tell me?" he finally asked.

"What?"

"How many weeks are you? Three or four is when this starts, right?"

"Huh?"

"We're going to have to start looking into names. Jack's a nice one. Jacqueline if it's a girl. Or Donna, after your mum."

"Jack, I'm not pregnant."

It was his turn to ask, "What?"

"Jack, darling, I'm not pregnant. I'm dying."


	14. Chapter 14

**A.N.: Sorry this is so short, but... Yeah. Oh well. Enjoy!**

"No... how?" Jack finally asked.

"It requires a lot of Time Energy to seal a hole in the universe, and a lot to recover from it. I'm running out of energy, and I don't think there's anything I can do about it."

"Let's go home. Maybe we can figure something out, but being surrounded by people isn't the best way to do it. C'mon." He helped her up, and with an arm around her waist, explained to everyone that she was sick and he was going to take her back to their flat. "I may be in later, I may not. Ianto, you're in charge. Stay in contact."

They got back to their flat to find that the door was unlocked. Jack entered the room slowly, laughing when he saw who had broken into the flat. "Hullo. I've made tea," Donna announced, bringing over a cup when Grace sat on the sofa.

"Why are you back? Why now? Did you know...?"

"Well, the Doctor thought there was something we could do, and he wanted to visit. Something about time being a ball. You can ask him," Donna told the couple as the Doctor came into the room.

"Nice flat you've got here," he announced. "Jack, have you figured out what's going on? Because of the rift, I mean."

"Doctor, she's dying. I thought that couldn't happen. Is there anything you can do?" Jack asked.

"She can die. So can you, but it won't be for a long time. Billions of years from now, you'll still be a hero. But Grace, Grace we can help now. You won't like it, Jack."

"Anything to help her." It sounded like an ultimatum.

"If I take her into the future, there will be people that can help her. You have to stay here, though. Torchwood needs you."

"Do it," Jack sighed.

"No," Grace said.

"You want to die?"

"If I go into the future, Jack, your time will be linear. I'd skip a few years and progress from there. You would never catch up."

They both turned to the Doctor, as if they were looking for an answer. He cleared his throat, saying, "Not exactly. Grace you would go into the future. I could bring Jack to you after certain events happen in his timeline. Time is a ball, you see. If two points on it connect, cataclysmic things can happen. It's my job to stop them from happening. But if I connect two of those points securely, I can bring him to you. For you, Grace, it will only be a few days after I bring you there. But it will be a few years for Jack."

"I'm not too sure I understand," Grace admitted. "It'll be a few days for me, but years for him?"

"You don't have to get it. It only matters if he can do it. You can, Doctor, can't you?" Jack asked.

"Yes. But it'll be a hell of a few years for you, Jack."

"Do it then. Please."

"Grace, come with me," the Doctor said. "Donna, you too."

"Goodbye, Jack," Grace said, pulling him into a hug. "Be safe. And behave yourself. I'll see you sooner than you think, okay? I love you."

"I love you too," Jack smiled, kissing her goodbye. He watched as the others got into the TARDIS, which was parked in their kitchen. In a matter of seconds, they were gone.

For Grace, the journey was quick. The Doctor and Donna left her in her unchanged flat in the year 2014. Everything seemed normal. The news told her what had happened in the time she was gone. Meanwhile, the journey to 2014 was chaotic for Jack.


	15. Chapter 15

Grace had received a postcard the first day she was in 2014. The front read _'Greetings from the Kasterborus Galaxy_' and on the back, in a scrawled form of writing, the Doctor had written a note. _'Give it six or seven days. I can make years in his time correspond to days in yours. It isn't exact, so you'll probably see him around midnight on day six or noon on day seven. Donna says hello and sends her love. - the Doctor_'

**Day Two:** Grace went shopping. She needed some clothes and a new mobile. The man at the store was astounded that she hadn't traded her phone in earlier. According to him, it was ancient. She also had to set up Wi-Fi in her flat. All in all, it was a hectic day of updating many things.

**Day Three: **Grace had decided to look up Torchwood and see if she could find out what Jack had been up to. Unsurprisingly, there were no results. Searching his name didn't bring anything up, but she did find a World War II era American pilot also named Jack Harkness. Strange coincidence... though the universe is rarely so lazy.

**Day Four:** Grace went to the Torchwood building. She found nothing obvious there, and upon entering the shop next door, she was told that the building had always been a bank, at least as long as the teenage cashier had been working there. The perception filter was still there, but when she stood on the cement where the back door to the facility used to be, nothing happened. Perhaps they had a new entrance. Or perhaps Torchwood itself was moved. Either way, no one was there.

**Day Five:** Grace spent the day at the library and on the Internet, catching up on the last six and a half years of history and popular culture. A lot had happened all over the world. The United States had a new president. Egypt and most of the Middle East had been covered in revolutions. Russia was looking to take over more territory. Celebrities came and went. Prince William had gotten married and had a son. Grace had missed all of it. She had skipped the Armageddon scare of 2012 and the radiation scare in Japan. A lot had happened that Jack would be a part of that she would never see. But he would be home soon, or at least she hoped he would be.

**Day Six:** Grace was distracted all day. She had tried to organize the flat while watching the news, but all she could think of was the fact that Jack would be back within a day. The Doctor had promised, and he never broke a promise unless he had to for the sake of humanity.

By midnight, Jack hadn't returned. Grace had fallen asleep waiting when the front door creaked open and a man in a coat walked in quietly. He navigated his way through the flat until he came to her room. With a hand on the doorknob, he wondered if he should enter. If he did, he would have to relay the news of the past six and a half years, and not all of it was good. If he didn't, Grace would be crushed.

She didn't wake up as he opened the door. It was only when he lay down beside her that Grace opened her eyes. "Jack? Oh thank goodness. You're okay!"

He pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head. "It's been hell. And I'm never letting go of you again."

"What happened to Torchwood? I couldn't find any records on it. I figured they were kept secret for a reason. How is Owen? Gwen? Tosh? Ianto?"

"Grace, Torchwood's gone," he told her sadly. "And Ianto... Ianto's dead."

"Oh Jack..."

"There was something funny about removing you from my timeline. Almost immediately, I began to forget you. I'm sorry, but I did. I... there were others, Ianto among them. Grace, I loved him so much. But it seemed like there was always something I was forgetting, something I just couldn't name. Something I was missing. When he was dying, Ianto... Ianto said something that made me remember. 'Find Grace.' I didn't know what it was, why it was important, but I knew I had to find Grace. And when the Doctor picked me up a few minutes ago - well, it seemed like a few minutes ago - I told him what Ianto had said. And he showed me a picture of you, and I remembered. I remembered everything. I can't believe I had forgotten it. Grace Harkness, I'll never forget you again. I promise."

"Jack, if Torchwood's gone, what happened to everyone? What do we do now?"

"Most of them are okay. We can contact them once in a while. For now, we carry on Torchwood's legacy. We fight alien invasions and investigate sightings. And we keep a lookout for the Doctor, of course. But for now, you just let me hold on to you. I've missed you so much. I don't ever want to let you go."

"You don't have to."

"Did the Doctor figure out how to heal you?" He asked.

"No, not yet. I was supposed to wait for you to return. He told me before he and Donna left that you would have to help me."

"About the Doctor and Donna... well, the Doctor looks different now. He regenerated. But he's still the same old Doctor," Jack told her.

"And mum? Is mum still with him?"

Jack sighed. "Grace, Donna saved the Doctor's life. But as a result, he had to wipe her memory of him. She's okay. She's living with her mum and granddad, but she can't ever remember the Doctor, or she'll die. Unfortunately, she also can't remember you. The Doctor has a new companion now. Well, he's had several, but River's the newest."

"So I can't see mum, dad's totally different, and he's hanging out with a new woman?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. I-"

"It's okay. It's change. It happens to us all, in the end. Jack, I love you."

"I love you too. And I have billions of years before I have to change."


End file.
